Mother Teresa to inspire Regent Cinema children’s club

Patna: The Regent Cinema is playing host to the Mother Teresa International Film festival, with a special show of the acclaimed feature film “In the Name of God’s Poor” starring Geraldine Chaplin in the lead role. MTIFF 2011 is Patna’s way of celebrating the birth centenary of Nobel laureate Mother Teresa with screenings in schools, colleges, and other venues.

Suman Sinha, owner of the Regent Cinema, indicated that the film would be the first in a series of value-based free screenings, soon to take the form of a CSR venture “Children’s Cinema Club”. The proposed club, a joint initiative by Regent Cinema and AASRA Charitable Trust, [ACT, Patna] would screen at least one good movie free of cost for children and young people every month, in an attempt to have young people access wholesome and value-based international and regional cinema.

“Mother Teresa is a role model for young and old alike. After Rabindranath Tagore, she is India’s other Nobel laureate, and a symbol of peace and compassion,” he said. “This beautiful film based on the life of a great soul will inspire many, and the Regent is proud to be a part of the initiative by AASRA to bring to Patna so many films on Mother.”

Regent Cinema completed its 83^rd anniversary this year. Frank Krishner, managing trustee of ACT and festival director of MTIFF 2011, said that the festival offered a unique opportunity to bring to fruition an idea that has been in gestation for a long time. “For almost two years now, Suman has been planning to develop something beautiful for children in Patna – an initiative that will help parents and teachers strengthen the moral fibre of youngsters, and the Children’s Cinema Club is the outcome.” The film on Mother Teresa would be the first in a series of ‘free shows’ that aimed at bringing meaningful cinema to young people.

Besides the Regent Cinema, screenings of different films will take place at various venues between 2^nd and 5^th September: Patna Women’s College, Government Art College, Rose Bud School, Don Bosco Academy, St Xavier’s, Nav Jyoti Niketan, Notre Dame Academy, etc.

[HT Patna Saturday 26 Aug]

STUDENTS SAY MOTHER TERESA IS ROLE MODEL

India can’t be shining if there is poverty and sickness, and Mother Teresa didn’t search for intellectual solutions to remove the cause of poverty, she just reached out and took the hand of the most shunned humans. This is what Priyanshu Dikshit, a third year student from Patna Women’s College says.

For Madhup Madhumita, a Mass Media Graduate, “Mother Teresa is this awesome woman. Her approach to unwanted female babies was don’t kill them, give them to me. I will look after them with love. And hundreds of unwanted baby girls have been left at Mother Teresa’s homes. And they are living in an atmosphere of love.”

Priyanshu and Madhup are among a growing number of young volunteers who are lending their support to a unique film festival that will be unveiled in several schools and other locations in Patna between 2 and 5 September 2011.  The Mother Teresa International Film Festival with 12 films on the theme of Nobel laureate and Bharat Ratna will tour the city thanks to the initiative of a group of determined citizens led by AASRA Charitable Trust.

Patna YMCA Chief Christopher Bachmann hoped the festival and the life of Mother Teresa would inspire youngsters to look beyond consumerism, and challenge them to be more considerate and caring.

The venues of the festival are Notre Dame Academy, Don Bosco, St. Xavier’s School, Patna Women’s College, Navjyoti Niketan and the Government College of Arts and Crafts. There will be special screenings in schools in Patna City and Hajipur as well, it is learnt. 

[ACT PATNA PRESS RELEASE]

MTIFF 2011 - Fragmented Journal 4

Visibility

The Message is out there... the festival is on ... but miles to go

You'll see them on the Patliputra- Railway station segment of the Auto route... sent off today ...  a small beginning ... 

MTIFF 2011 - Fragmented Journal 3

The rain does play spoilsport for people who move about on two-wheelers.

The festival is taking shape: perhaps not in the mould of the traditional film festivals - cinema halls, big auditoriums and all the razzmatazz - but in a more meaningful manner: the increasing number of schools and educational institutions that want their students to know about Mother Teresa.

Mrs Rizvi, Founder Principal of Rose Bud Academy said she was most interested that her school become a part of the MTIFF. "My students need to know about Mother Teresa. My only regrets is that the festival clashes with Teacher's Day, otherwise I would have orgaised it on a big scale on campus."

The nursing students at Kurji Holy Family will also watch some of the films in their auditorium on the 2nd and 3rd of September.

Mother Teresa is an icon of charity and love that transcends religious belief or lack of it. The great communist Jyoti Basu and the great catholic Mother Teresa were the best of friends- because they shared one thing - concern for the poor of this country. That is why her life story and the effect she has had on thousands of people is important to all of us whether we are Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Muslims, baha'is, Sikhs, Agnostics, or Athiests.

I believe that this is only film festival in Patna to be happening almost simultaneously in venues across the city!

Now that's something to go down in the annals of Film Festivals!

65th Birthday

So India became independent 64 years ago. India has withstood many threats in the past years, especially external ones. Wars, aggression, terrorist attacks, and so on.

In 2011,  there is a threat to India :internally generated. No, this danger isn’t the presence of corruption in public life. Yet dishonesty is a component or a factor in the menace.

The threat comes from forces operating within the country, that are actually attempting to subvert the democratic process laid down in the Constitution in the disguise  of restoring integrity and transparency in public affairs. This threat is difficult to combat since it appears in public in the guise of honesty and its aims are seemingly genuine.

It is unfortunate is that many sensible and educated people are being led astray by the appeal of these so-called civil society movements.

The elected representatives of the Indian people: members of parliament, have the responsibility of making laws. This responsibility cannot be santched by individuals and groups who are not elected by the people of India but only claim to speak for the people of India.

 Be aware, any force working against the democratic process in India, even if it is non-violent, cannot be ignored since it attacks what is at the core of the Constitution and, therefore, of the Republic.

No doubt,  the absence of integrity in public life cannot be ignored. It is abundantly clear that many members of the political class, the bureaucracy, the business community and even the judiciary have violated the highest codes of conduct expected of them. Successive governments have been unwilling and slow in moving against the corrupt.

An important  point lost in the noise ---- that the present government  has kept a cabinet minister in jail for a number of months. The arrest of A. Raja only raised expectations that were not fulfilled. The government works in fits and starts, and this has resulted in a confidence deficit.

Most people are starting to believe that this government cannot govern because it has no wish or will to govern. This falling confidence helps and empowers so-called civil society movements to thrive.

On India's 65th Independence Day, the government should free itself from its own contradictions and win back the trust of the people.

MTIFF 2011- Fragmented Journal 2

This fragmented journal on the Mother Teresa Film Festival, that we’re trying to organize in Patna. So much to do, and so little time.


Some great experiences: Dr Diwakar Tejaswi coming on board immediately and narrating to us how inspired he was by Mother Teresa’s service. Manoj Kumar, a camera-man, said he couldn’t contribute much, but has arranged for a projector free of cost that could be used in the first week of September. Amitabh Pandey, who has offered his designing skills. Dr Atul Pandey saying that his students in Art College may not know much about Mother Teresa, but that they should be given that knowledge through film. After an orientation, they would be ready to produce an art exhibition on her, he said. Ajit Chouhan relaying the information on MTIFF 2011 via Cool Bihari and urging his friends to try and help out, saying that this is a celebration that the whole of Patna should join.

And then the sadness and disappointment: There is this ‘friend’, who was once the Press Secretary in what is now Archbishop’s House. He has resources, he has educational institutions. He fills my mailbox [and those of his numerous other contacts] each day with ‘inspirational’ messages, lauding works of charity and spirituality. One of the steering committee members, urged me to contact him. “He will definitely be a part of this event, and it would be good if we can involve the lesser known schools as well.” So I sent him an email. He declined to be a part of the event. That was okay. But, what made me sad and disappointed was what he wrote back:

“The kids in St. Mary's are not hifi kids like in DPS and Don Bosco etc...they are very poor people. They hardly know much about Mother Teeresa. The teachers are Hindus...they are also middle class and not interested in anything else but their fixed...that's the situation, O wise one.”

I leave it to my readers to assess the import of this statement.

Our venues have grown in number: Art College, Don Bosco, Notre Dame, Patna Women’s College, Nav Jyoti Niketan. Students from other schools and colleges and film lovers will be invited to special screenings.

MTIFF 2011 -fragmented journal

SEVEN days ago.... I started the ball rolling. Thursday, 28th July- 4pm. It's raining cats and dogs. The filthy water from the street is pouring into the resource centre driveway. It's getting flooded. It's an hour before the steering committee meeting. I've invited several important people to this small house - most will be stepping in for the first time... and into ankle deep water in the driveway!

I sigh and look at the Church across the street and  tell the Man upstairs - It's your saint we're talking about here, so can't you turn off the waterworks for a couple of hours to let people to the meeting?

Fifteen minutes later, there's no rain, and the ankle deep water has actually seeped out without leaving a trace of mud!

People start arriving... Dr Shanker Dutt [Chairperson Sangeet Natak Academy] Fr Nishaant vice-principal St Xavier's College, Alan Cowell represnting the Anglo Indian community, Ejya Yadav on behalf of Women's College ... by 5:15 Namrata from The Hindustan Times, Fr Premlal  from SIGNIS, Ravi Bharati are here ... I start a video to explain the background of MTIFF [am disappointed that there's no sign of the VG, when the phone rings - The Vicar General and the local Superior of the Missionaries of Charity are fifteen minutes away.

So our first steering committee meeting takes place. And as the guests start leaving,  a few warning drops of water fall from the heavens. As the last one leaves, the rain is back ...